How to Install a Chimney Liner

Chimney liners are all fuel venting systems that are intended for use with heating appliances vented through a masonry chimney. Before installing your chimney liner be sure to perform the following tasks:

1) Clear your chimney of any obstructions and debris.
2) Hire a sweep to clean the chimney for you or clean it yourself.
3) Inspect your chimney. Look for cracked, loose or missing bricks or stones.
4) Measure your chimney. A chimney liner kit that will serve a fireplace needs to have the largest diameter pipe that will fit inside your flue, whereas the liner size required for other fuel burning appliances will be determined by the manufacturer’s specifications and local safety codes.

Measure your Chimney and Appliance

The basic measurements you need before you select a chimney liner kit are the height of your chimney and the inside dimensions of your existing flue. From the top of your chimney, measure to the top of the fireplace smoke chamber or the connection point for your wood stove or furnace.

More About Lining your Chimney

For a fireplace, you should have a liner with a cross sectional area no less than one tenth of the area of the fireplace opening. This ten to one ratio is a rule of thumb that can vary depending upon the height of the chimney and other factors.

This is important for 2 reasons:

1) If the liner diameter is too small, your fireplace will not draw well, resulting in smoky fires and smoke-filled rooms.

2) If the size of liner that you need for your fireplace is too large to fit inside your existing flue, you may need to repair your clay tile liner rather than inserting a steel liner inside it.

Be sure to get to know your parts! The simple guidelines, which can be viewed by clicking each component pictured above, will aid you in the install of your new chimney lining system!